1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to components, systems, methods and apparatus for the identification, reading and or tracking of playing cards and card hands in a gaming environment, such as in casino table card games.
2. Background of the Art
Casinos and other forms of gaming constitute a very large industry. Large amounts of money are exchanged and placed at risk and it has always been a significant concern of the industry in protecting the casinos and players against fraudulent events. In casino table card games, there are generally three areas of risk in fraud, 1) falsifying/replacing playing cards, 2) falsifying/replacing chips, and 3) passing of information improperly. Casinos would also classify certain forms of play at card games as at least undesirable, if not excludable (such as card-counting).
Numerous different methods have been proposed and instituted to defend against these types of fraud. There is extensive physical surveillance of casinos, both directly by personnel and less intrusively by overhead cameras that view and record wagering and play activities. Trained personnel watch the play of games and individual players, identifying situations and events that indicate problems. Although most of these trained individuals can detect chip substitution, card exchanges and some forms of unauthorized player/dealer communications, it is difficult for the observers' attention to be maintained at the highest levels consistently.
There are other reasons for observing the play of casino table card games, such as to rate the efficiency of dealers over time, rate the efficiency of players over time, and provide a statistical basis for analysis of new games. This can assist the casino in rating players for comps and special invitations and identify preferred dealers for higher stake tables.
While some aspects of a casino's security system should be plainly visible as a deterrent, other aspects of the security should be unobtrusive to avoid detracting from the players' enjoyment of the game and to prevent cheaters and thieves from avoiding detection. Some of the current methods of tracking have drawbacks. The methods typically depend on manual observation of a gaming table. Thus coverage is not comprehensive, and is limited to tracking a relatively small number of games, customers and employees. This problem is exacerbated by a customer's ability to rapidly move between gaming tables. A commonly known method for cheating customers to avoid detection is to switch tables frequently. The tracking methods are also prone to error since the manual methods rely on human observers who can become inattentive or distracted. In one commonly known method of cheating the casino, one member of a team will create a distraction while another member steals chips or swaps cards. These manual tracking methods are also labor intensive, and thus costly.
The advance of technology in the fields of imaging, symbol recognition, computers and software has enabled the potential for greater utilization of technology to automatically provide a basis for security as opposed to merely providing a source of information for humans to evaluate. Security enhancing systems are needed in various different aspects of the play of casino table card games, and many different systems have been proposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,166 (Lorson) describes an integrated blackjack game control system having multiple sensors and output devices, electronic signal processing equipment, passive and active operator control devices, and a computer system. The system components are capable of being installed on or near existing blackjack tables and support equipment, and to operate with standard playing cards. The system performs several simultaneous functions to accelerate the play of a game of blackjack, enhance the shuffling process, and perform continuous monitoring of key dealer and table performance attributes. The system gathers information on the distribution of cards in the discard shoe from knowledge of the sequence of cards dealt during game play. When signaled, the system determines appropriate sequence, number, and positions of the pre-shuffle plug locations of the cards in the discard shoe. The system transmits the pre-shuffle card plug information to an output device driver assembly which actuates the desired output devices. In one implementation, the system output devices are light-emitting diodes, but any number of electric, acoustic, or mechanical devices could be utilized.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,536 (Hill) describes a playing card dispensing shoe apparatus, system and method, wherein the shoe has a card scanner which scans the indicia on a playing card as the card moves along and out of a chute of the shoe by operation of the dealer. The scanner is located on the outlet slope of the dispenser, not within any card moving element internal to the device. The scanner comprises an optical-sensor used in combination with a neural network which is trained using error back-propagation to recognize the card suits and card values of the playing cards as they are moved past the scanner, so specially coded information is not needed. The scanning process in combination with a central processing unit (CPU) determines the progress of the play of the game and, by identifying card counting systems or basic playing strategies in use by the players of the game, provides means to limit or prevent casino losses and calculate the Theoretical Win of the casino, thus also providing an accurate quality method of determining the amount of comps to be given a particular player. The shoe is also provided with additional devices which make it simple and easy to access, record and display other data relevant to the play of the game. These include means for accommodating a “customer-tracking card” which reads each player's account information from a magnetic stripe on the card, thus providing access to the player's customer data file stored on the casino's computer system, and one or more alpha-numeric keyboards and LCD displays used to enter and retrieve player and game information. Also included are keyboards on the game table so that each player can individually select various playing or wagering options using their own keyboard. The system is more focused on analysis of overall play at a table and by individuals rather then identifying specific hands and play at each round of a card game. The system evaluates individual player strategy and proficiency after the read card information is sent to a computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,959 (Pfeiffer) describes a card distribution apparatus having a card hopper adapted to hold from one to at least 104 cards, a card carousel having slots for holding cards, an injector for sequentially loading cards from the hopper into the carousel, output ports, ejectors for delivering cards from the carousel to any one of the output ports, and a control board and sensors, all housed in a housing. The apparatus is capable of communicating with selectors which are adjustable for making card selections. The injector has three rollers driven by a motor via a worm gear. A spring loaded lever keeps cards in the hopper pressed against the first roller. The ejectors are pivotally mounted to the base of the housing beneath the carousel and comprise a roller driven by a motor via gears and a centripetal clutch. A control board keeps track of the identity of cards in each slot, card selections, and the carousel position. Cards may be ordinary playing cards or other cards with bar codes added for card identification by the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,743 (Nicoletti) describes a card dispensing device that requires the use of a mechanical means to advance cards out of the shoe. Specifically described is a dispenser for playing cards comprising: a shoe adapted to contain a plurality of stacked playing cards, the playing cards including a leading card and a trailing card; the shoe including a back wall, first and second side walls, a front wall, a base, and an inclined floor extending from the back wall to proximate the front wall and adapted to support the playing cards; the floor being inclined downwardly from the back wall to the front wall; the front wall having an opening and otherwise being adapted to conceal the leading card; and the front wall, side walls, base and floor enclosing a slot positioned adjacent the floor, the slot being sized to permit a playing card to pass through the slot; card advance means contacting the trailing card and adapted to urge the stacked cards down the inclined floor; card dispensing means positioned proximate the front wall and adapted to dispense a single card at a time, the card dispensing means including leading card contact means adapted for rotation about an axis parallel to the leading card, whereby rotation of the leading card contact means displaces the leading card relative to the card stack and into a predetermined position extending out of the shoe from the slot; and an endless belt located in the opening in the front wall for rotating the leading card contact means, the endless belt having an exterior surface securely engaging the leading card contact means and being adapted to be displaced by an operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,039 (Miller) describes a device for speeding the pace of a game of blackjack. The device is comprised of a housing having a top surface. A card reader for reading at least a portion of a playing card is located within the housing. An indicator cooperating with the card reader is provided to inform the dealer if his down card is of a desired value. There is also disclosed herein a method for increasing the speed of play in an organized game of blackjack. The system includes a device for reading alpha-numeric indicia on cards of a deck of playing cards in a game of blackjack to indicate to a dealer whether or not the dealer has been dealt “21,” comprising: (a) a housing having a means for receiving at least a portion of a playing card when such card is disposed face down on a blackjack table; (b) means for directly reading at least a portion of the alpha-numeric indicia on said card while the card is disposed adjacent said means for receiving; and (c) means for indicating, based on the portion of the alpha-numeric indicia read, when the dealer has been dealt “21,” said indicating means being connected to said means for reading.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,122 (Roblejo) describes an apparatus for randomizing and verifying sets of playing cards. Also, the invention relates to a processing providing such an apparatus; feeding to the apparatus one or more cards either after they have been played in a game or from an unrandomized or unverified set of cards; and manually retrieving a verified true set of cards from the apparatus. Also, the invention relates to a process of playing in a casino setting or simulated casino setting, a card game comprising providing such an apparatus, feeding unverified sets of playing cards to the apparatus, and recovering verified true sets of cards from the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,605,334; 6,093,103 and 6,117,012 (McCrea) describe a secure game table system, adapted for multiple sites under a central control, for monitoring each hand in a live card game. A common deck identity code is located on each card. A shuffler has a circuit for counting the cards from a previous hand which are inserted into the shuffler and which reads the common identity code. The game control verifies that no cards have been withdrawn from the hand by a player or that new cards have been substituted. A unique code also placed on each card is read as the card is dealt to indicate the value and the suit. The game control stores this information in a memory so that a history of each card dealt is recorded. Sensors are located near each of the player positions for sensing the presence of a game bet and a progressive bet. A card sensor located near each player position and the dealer position issues a signal for each card received. The game control receives these signals and correlates those player positions having placed a game and/or progressive bet with the received cards. The game control at each table has stored in memory the winning combinations necessary to win the progressive jackpots. Since the game control accurately stores the suit and value of each card received at a particular player position, the game control can automatically detect a winning progressive combination and issue an award signal for that player position. The shoe element has the card reading components in the card withdrawal area. When integrated into a shuffling device, a camera may capture images at various positions before and at the delivery area.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,632 (Albrecht) describes an apparatus and method for sorting cards into a predetermined sequence. One embodiment provides a deck holding area in which cards are held for presenting a card to a read head for reading the characters on the face of the card. The apparatus also has a tray having a sequence of slots and a card moving mechanism for moving the presented card from the deck holding area into one of the slots. The tray is connected to a tray positioning mechanism for selectively positioning the tray to receive a card in one of the slots from the card moving mechanism. A controller is connected to the read head, the card moving mechanism, and the tray positioning mechanism. The controller controls the reading of each of the cards by the read head and identifies the value of each card read, and also controls the card moving mechanism to move each of the cards to a slot of the tray positioned by the tray positioning mechanism according to the predetermined sequence of values. The method for sorting includes the step of providing a tray having a sequence of slots, determining a predetermined sequence of values for the cards, and reading the face of a card to determine the value the card. The method further includes moving the read card into one of the slots of the tray. The position of the slot into which the read card is moved corresponds to the position of the value in the predetermined sequence.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,248 (Johnson) describes a collation and/or sorting apparatus for groups of articles. The apparatus is a sorting and/or shuffling device for playing cards. The apparatus comprises a sensor (15) to identify articles for collation and/or sorting, feeding means to feed cards from a stack (11) past the sensor (15) to a delivery means (14) adapted to deliver cards individually to a preselected one of a storing means (24) in an indexable magazine (20). A microprocessor (16) coupled to the feed means (14), delivery means (18), sensor (15) and magazine (20) determines according to a preprogrammed routine whether cards identified by sensor (15) are collated in the magazine (20) as an ordered deck of cards or a randomly ordered or “shuffled” deck.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,044 (Block) describes a system with a top of a card table having a card dispensing hole therethrough and an arcuate edge is covered by a transparent dome shaped cover. A dealer position is centrally located on the table top. A plurality of player stations are evenly spaced along the arcuate edge. A rotatable card placement assembly includes an extendable arm that is connected to a card carrier that is operable to carry a card. In response to signals from the computer, the rotation of the assembly and the extension of the arm cause the card carrier to carry the card from the card dispensing hole to either the dealer position or any of the player positions. The card carries a bar code identification thereon. A bar code reader of the card carrier provides a signal representation of the identification of the card to the computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,908 (Stardust) describes an automated method and apparatus for sequencing and/or inspecting decks of playing cards. The method and apparatus utilizes pattern recognition technology or other image comparison technology to compare one or more images of a card with memory containing known good images of a complete deck of playing cards to identify each card as it passes through the apparatus. Once the card is identified, it is temporarily stored in a location corresponding to or identified according to its position in a properly sequenced deck of playing cards. Once a full set of cards has been stored, the cards are released in proper sequence to a completed deck hopper. The method and apparatus also includes an operator interface capable of displaying a magnified version of potential defects or problem areas contained on a card which may then be viewed by the operator on a monitor or screen and either accepted or rejected via operator input. The present invention is also capable of providing an overall wear rating for each deck of playing cards.
This patent requires identification of cards and storage of cards with the identity of the card recognized in a storage position. The cards are read and then stored in identified and recoverable positions. The identified cards are then directed, in ranked and suited order into a final collection area where the ordered deck is formed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,546 (Meissner) describes a method and apparatus enabling a game to be played based upon a plurality of cards. An automated dealing shoe dispenses each of the cards and recognizes each of the cards as each of the cards is dispensed. Player stations are also included. Each player station enables a player to enter a bet, request that a card be dispensed or not dispensed, and to convert each bet into a win or a loss based upon the cards which are dispensed by the automated dealing shoe. This patent requires a system organization (betting and card calling functions at each player position and win-tracking as a result of play). The dealer shoe reads the cards one-at-a-time when driven by a single drive wheel into the card read station. The cards are fed from a sloped tray and are moved at constant speed to enable accurate reading of the cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,447 (Lofink) describes a method and system for generating displays related to the play of Baccarat. Cards dealt to each of the Banker's and Player's hands are identified as by scanning and data signals are generated. The card identification data signals are processed to determine the outcome of the hand. Displays in various formats to be used by bettors are created from the processed identification signals including the cards of the hand played, historical records of outcomes and the like. The display can also show bettors expected outcomes and historical bests. Bettors can refer to the display in making betting decisions.
The cards are read between the shoe and the player positions. “Disposed between the shoe 22 and areas 24, 26 is means for identifying the cards dealt to the Player and Banker hands. These means are embodied as any suitable card scanner 32. Scanner 32 optically scans each card 10 as it is dealt from the shoe 22 and swiped across the scanner 32, face down. When the cards 10 include [sic, include] a bar code (not shown) on their face which designates suit and denomination, the scanner 32 may be a laser scanner adapted to generate signals corresponding to the bar code. Preferably, to avoid the necessity of bar coding cards, the scanner 32 is of the type which optically scans the card face and generates data signals corresponding to the optical characteristics of the face of the card. As but an example, digital camera means can be used to generate data signals, broken in picture elements, i.e. pixels, the signal strength at the locations of the individual pixels collectively corresponding to the actual appearance of the face.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,334 (McCrea Jr.) It is believed that this is a disclosure of a distinct card-reading element/section/attachment to a card shuffler. The disclosure, though technically enabling in some respects, appears to be mainly prophetic, and when read in combination with U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,145 (Verschoor, which discloses the ‘shuffler’), technical deficiencies are clearly apparent. The patent specification describes a complete table system and does not include a card reading discard rack. FIG. 16 of the McCrea Jr. patent is an illustration setting forth the addition of a single reader to the automatic shuffler of U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,154 (Verschoor, Nationale Stichting tot Exploitatie van Casinospelen in Nederland (Hoofddorp, NL). The shuffler is a simple card interleaving system with cards fed nearly consecutively from two separate stacks.
In FIGS. 16 and 17 is set forth another embodiment of a secure shuffler. Again, this shuffler is based upon the structure that set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,145. The shuffler 240 is mounted on a base 1600 in which is contained a camera 1610 with a lens 1620. Hence, this embodiment is self-contained and is not mounted to the table. In this embodiment, a single camera is used to record optical images of the cards dealt (as indicated by arrow 1602) and cards inserted (as indicated by arrow 1604). The inserted cards are placed in stack 93a and the cards dealt are dealt from stack 1230. Hence, in FIG. 16, a card 1230B is placed in the modified shoe 250 and an image is delivered as shown by arrow 1630 into a mirror 1632 and is reflected 1634 into a central mirror 1636. Likewise, card 1410B is in stack 93a or is delivered into stack 16a, by drive disk 37a, an image 1640 is delivered into mirror 1642 and is reflected 1644 into the central mirror 1636. The lens 1620 receives the reflected signals 1646 from mirror 1636 and delivers these optical images over lines 252 to the game control. It is to be expressly understood that images 1630 and 1640 can be obtained from a number of regions internal to shuffler 240 and that mirrors other than mirrors 1632, 1646 and 1642, can be used to reflect images into lens 1620.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,819 (Garczynski) describes a module for announcing when a Dealer has blackjack without exposing the face of the Dealer's down-card. The module scans a character from the Dealer's face-down standard playing card, compares the result of the scan with a set of references, and identifies the down-card. The module also receives input from the Dealer as to the identity of the Dealer's up-card, and announces whether the Dealer has blackjack or the hand continues. The module is designed to be mounted to a blackjack table such that the surface of the module on which the standard playing card rests while being scanned is in the plane of the surface of the blackjack table, allowing the Dealer to slide the down-card across the table and onto the scanner without lifting, and potentially exposing, the card's face. The module also removes the noise generated by a casino's heat, dust, cigarette and cigar ashes, and lint from the felt of the blackjack table, during the scanning process. The module further optimizes the scan of the character on the standard playing card by controlling the light intensity emitted by the components of the module used to illuminate the character.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,505 (Garczynski) describes a dual card scanning module announces when the symbols of a face-up standard playing card and a face-down standard playing card achieve a desired combination. The module has a scanner system that illuminates and scans at least a portion of a symbol of the face-up standard playing card and at least a portion of a symbol of the face-down standard playing card and stores the results thereof in a first and second array device, respectively. The module also has a guide to assist in receiving and positioning the cards such that the face-up standard playing card is above and aligned with the face-down standard playing card. When in this position, the symbol portions of the face-up and the face-down standard playing cards can be scanned by the array devices to generate respective scanning results. The module compares the scanning results with a memory storing a plurality of references representing respective symbols of the standard playing cards to determine if the cards have achieved the desired combination. This system requires the reading of both the face-up and face-down cards. It is believed that after review of the specification, this requirement is to be read as reading those cards in the specific positions as face-up and face-down cards and does not include reading the cards as they are withdrawn from a shoe. There is also the requirement of a display. This displays/indicates blackjacks by identification of the dealer's hole card and an up card while it is at the dealer's position. The card is not read in the discard rack after the play of the game, but at the dealer's hand position before or as the game is being played.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,039,650; and 5,722,893 (Hill) describes a card dealing shoe that has a card scanner which scans indicia on a playing card as the card moves along and out of a chute by manual direction by the dealer in the normal fashion. The scanner can be one of several different types of devices which will sense each card as it is moved downwardly and out of the shoe. A feed forward neural-network is trained, using error back-propagation to recognize all possible card suits and card values sensed by the scanner. Such a neural-network becomes a part of a scanning system which provides a proper reading of the cards to determine the progress of the play of the game including how the game might suffer if the game players are allowed to count cards using a card count system and perform other acts which would limit the profit margin of the casino. The Discard Rack of the present invention is not enabled for the delivery of cards one-at-a-time, and is used after the play of the hand, not prior to resolving hands (even if resolution of wagers may be delayed until confirmation by the reading discard rack). For instance, the shoe of the Hill patents has means for accommodating a “customer-tracking-card” or preferred customer card which reads the personal information of a card holder from a magnetic stripe on the card and this information travels with the preferred customer from game to game, throughout a casino, which the customer likes to play. An LCD display can also be part of the shoe and this display can be used to enter and retrieve vital player information as deemed necessary or desirable to the customer file opened when the magnetic stripe reader reads the preferred customer card with the customer name and account number embedded within the cards magnetic stripe. Scanned information is fed to a computer for extensive analysis.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,166 (Lorson) describes a system for monitoring play of a card game between a dealer and one or more players at a playing table, including                a card-dispensing shoe comprising one or more active card-recognition sensors, and a signal processing subsystem.The system gathers information on the distribution of cards in a discard shoe from knowledge of the sequence of cards dealt during game play. When signaled, the system determines appropriate sequence, number, and positions of the pre-shuffle plug locations of the cards in the discard shoe. The system transmits the pre-shuffle card plug information to an output device driver assembly which actuates the desired output devices. In one implementation, the system output devices are light-emitting diodes, but any number of electric, acoustic, or mechanical devices could be utilized. The dealer plugs the card segments as directed by the system output devices and signals completion by operating the control switch discussed above. The process is repeated until the card segments are properly positioned and then the system transmits an output signal to direct the dealer to shuffle the cards.        
U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,769 (Order) describes apparatus for use in table card games. The device is for professional use in table games of chance with playing cards and gaming chips (jettons), in particular the game of “Black Jack”, the object of the invention is to provide an automatically working apparatus which will register and evaluate all phases of the run of the game automatically. This is achieved by a card shoe with an integrated device for recognition of the value of the drawn cards (3′) (optical recognition device and mirroring into a CCD-image converter); photodiodes (52) arranged under the table cloth (51) in order to register separately the casino light passing through each area (53, 54) for placing the gaming chips (41) and areas (55, 56) for placing the playing cards (3) in dependence of the arrangement or movement of the jettons and playing cards on the mentioned areas; a device for automatic recognition of each bet (scanner to register the color of the jettons, or a RFID-system comprising a S/R station and jettons with integrated transponder); an EDP program created in accordance with the gaming rules to evaluate and store all data transmitted from the functional devices to the computer; and a monitor to display the run of the game and players' wins.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,122 (Roblejo) discloses a shuffler and also additional associated systems with reading capacity. [The apparatus verifies and sorts or shuffles sets of playing cards. The device includes a control means; input means for receiving playing cards into the apparatus; identification means for reading indicia on the playing cards; buffer means having a plurality of slots for temporarily holding cards; directing means for directing cards from the input means into slots in the buffer means; transporting means for moving cards from the input means to and through the identification means; stacking means; and ejecting means for ejecting cards from the slots in the buffer means into the stacking means. The identification means signals to the control means the identities of the cards and wherein the control means verifies that a true set of cards has been received in the input means and directs the ejecting means to deliver a true set of cards at the stacking means in either a random order or a sorted order.
At Global Gaming 2002, MindPlay, LLC., displayed a complete table system in the Bally Gaming booth. That system read cards from a tray prior to and after dealing, and read chips on the table with a camera. It was absolutely clear that the cards read in the tray had to be edge marked, as the cards were read without being fanned out sufficiently to display the faces of the individual cards. As all the cards were read at one time, there must have been edge reading capability. This is confirmed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,848 which claims and enables this edge reading capability. Cards were deposited in the tray for verification after play of the hand, again by edge-reading (that is the cards were sloped in a set so that special coded markings on the faces or backs of the cards could be read to identify the suit and rank of the cards. Standard decks could not be used in the displayed systems. Only single deck capability was possible at the time. It is not known how the software specifically related to the verification of the original deck, especially with regard to discards, double downs, etc., but some accommodation to that play was apparent in the play of the game on the displayed table.
Among the more assertive systems for blackjack (and other table game) security that have been disclosed and marketed is the MindPlay LLP casino table security system represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,533,662; 6,533,276; 6,530,837; 6,530,836; 6,527,271; 6,520,857; 6,517,436; 6,517,435; and 6,460,848.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,848 (Soltys) particularly deals with playing card reading systems and describes a system that automatically monitors playing and wagering of a game, including the gaming habits of players and the performance of employees. A card deck reader automatically reads a symbol from each card in a deck of cards before a first one of the cards is removed from the card reader. The symbol identifies a respective rank and suit of the card. In actual use, the complete set (e.g., deck or decks) of cards is removed from the card-reading tray and dealt by hand. A chip tray reader automatically images the contents of a chip tray, to periodically determine the number and value of chips in the chip tray, and to compare the change in contents of the chip tray to the outcome of game play for verifying that the proper amounts have been paid out and collected. A table monitor automatically images the activity occurring at a gaming table. Periodic comparisons of the images identify wagering, as well as the appearance, removal and position of cards and other game objects on the gaming table. A drop box automatically verifies an amount and authenticity of a deposit and reconciles the deposit with a change in the contents of the chip tray. The drop box employs a variety of lighting and resolutions to image selected portions of the deposited item. The system detects prohibited playing and wagering patterns, and determines the win/loss percentage of the players and the dealer, as well as a number of other statistically relevant measures. The measurements provide automated security and real-time accounting. The measurements also provide a basis for automatically allocating complimentary player benefits.
The operation of the Soltys card-reading system is described as feeding of the cards into the storage area of the rack and exposing them to reading sensors that read an edge of the cards. That system reads cards after they are put into a cradle (which is a housing sized for receiving playing cards), and therefore reads all of the cards (a plurality of cards) before a first card is removed from the cradle.
WO 00/51076 (Dolphin Advanced Technologies Pty. Ltd.) describes a card inspection device having a loading area on an elevator to receive one or more decks of playing cards. A drive (e.g., feed roller) presents cards into a loading area into a card accumulation area. The card passes over a camera in the transition between areas to sense the suit and rank of the cards. The system reverses the order of the cards from the loading area to the collection area. A printer produces a record of the device's operation.